Delta Air Lines is the first American carrier to offer Alipay payment as an option for Chinese plane ticket buyers.
Alipay is a payment platform operated by Ant Financial, a subsidiary of Chinese e-commerce tech giant Alibaba.
On the technical side, the process works by adding Alipay as an option to Delta.com. Transactions are completed via UATP, the payment processing network run by the world’s airlines for the purpose of avoiding bank fees.
The move is an attempt to earn more share of China’s outbound travel market, which will be $140 billion this year according to Phocuswright, a consultancy. In 2013, the US received 1.8 million Chinese visitors.
Delta expects growth in this business, given that the US and China have agreed to issue multiple-entry visas for up to a decade for short-term business and tourist travel. That is a relaxation of the visa rules.
The Alipay news comes just a day after Shanghai-based Alibaba announced Alitrip’s foray into hotel IT solutions. Alitrip is Alibaba’s new standalone travel brand.
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